It Knows You
by CaliburnX
Summary: A sequel to the episodes "The Calusari" and "Die Hand Die Verletz". Set around the time of season 2


IT KNOWS YOU...  
By Patrick Gallagher  
  
[MIDNIGHT]  
[OCTOBER 31, 1995]  
  
"How do you feel, dear?"  
  
"Tired, sleepy. I don't feel well."  
  
"That's because you've come a long way, dear. It's   
taken a great toll on you."  
  
"Why is it so dark? I can hardly see you."  
  
"Your eyes need time to adjust. You've been in the   
darkness a long time. But if you wish..."  
  
A match flared, igniting the wick of a long candle.   
The warm glow revealed the face of a middle-aged woman.   
She smiled as she looked down at the younger woman   
before her.  
  
"Is that better?"  
  
"Yes. Thank you."  
  
"Is there anything else?"  
  
"I'm dirty, and I smell bad."  
  
"Don't worry. We'll get you cleaned up shortly."  
  
"Then can I go home?"  
  
"Of course, dear. We have some mutual friends who   
miss you terribly. I'm sure they'll be very... surprised   
to see you again."  
  
Elizabeth Paddock's smile widened. Kneeling before   
her, Melissa Scully, her skin, hair and clothes caked   
with dirt, smiled back.  
  
  
[8:00 am]  
[November 1, 1995]  
[Annapolis, MD]  
  
Dana Scully awoke with a start, her skin crawling   
with gooseflesh. Shaking her head, she ran her hands   
through her hair as she tried to remember the dream.   
  
It was no good. The details, the reasons why it had   
disturbed her so much, were already fading. Something...   
something to do with Missy... But what?  
  
She sighed as she slid out of bed and wandered   
towards the bathroom. Under the circumstances, it wasn't   
surprising that any dream about her sister would be   
disturbing. Melissa had died in Dana's place, and Dana   
was still struggling to come to terms with the guilt and   
loss.  
  
Eventually, she supposed, the pain would pass.  
  
-----oOo-----  
  
An hour later, Scully stepped out of the front door   
of her apartment building. Mulder was waiting for her in   
the car, the engine running.  
  
"Morning, Mulder," she said as she climbed into the   
car. "All set for a big day re-organising your filing   
system?"  
  
Mulder smiled slightly, "I told you yesterday that   
I'd figure out some way of getting out of it." He   
produced a newspaper and handed it to her. Scully looked   
at the small article and photograph that had been   
circled in red pen.  
  
"Romanian Scholar Killed In Home," she read. The   
photo showed a middle-aged man, with thinning hair and a   
pensive look in his eyes. Scully frowned, the man looked   
vaguely familiar.  
  
"Paul Bostov," said Mulder. "His landlady found his   
body yesterday, after she heard the sound of a violent   
argument coming from his apartment. There was no sign of   
a second person, just Bostov, with his eyes ripped out."  
  
"Lovely," said Scully, "But what makes this an X-  
File?"  
  
"The Romanian connection doesn't ring a bell?"  
  
Then it clicked. "The Holvey case," she said, "He   
was a member of the Calusari, the Romanian spiritual   
group that believed the boy was possessed."  
  
"That's right. And considering the circumstances of   
his death, I think it merits looking into."  
  
"So, we're off to Arlington?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
  
[2:00 pm]  
[NOVEMBER 1, 1995]  
[ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA]  
  
Mulder skimmed through the crime-scene photos,   
orienting himself in the confines of the small   
apartment. He looked from the photograph of Bostov's   
body, sprawled in the middle of the room, to the white   
tape outline that now remained. He then turned his   
attention to the window at the front of the room, the   
glass shattered, the frame twisted and bent. Broken   
glass littered the floor. Mulder crouched and began   
sifting through the glass.  
  
"Mulder, look at this." Mulder turned. Scully was   
standing just inside the apartment's door, examining the   
frame.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"It's a swastika. Looks like it's been drawn in   
blood." She moved to the other side of the door frame.   
"There's another one here."  
  
"Which is why the local police are thinking they've   
got a neo-nazi extremist group on their hands," said   
Mulder, returning his attention to the broken glass.  
  
"But they're wrong, aren't they?"  
  
"The Calusari use the swastika for it's original   
purpose, as a symbol of power and protection. I'd say   
that Bostov put those there himself, as a defense   
measure." Mulder carefully picked up a piece of broken   
glass. Red smears of what was apparently blood formed   
half a swastika. "But it obviously wasn't enough."  
  
-----oOo-----  
  
Outside the apartment, Mulder and Scully walked   
around to the side. There, they looked up at the   
shattered remains of Bostov's window.  
  
"The only sign of forced entry that the police were   
able to find was the broken window. Three stories up."   
Mulder studied the ground below the window. "There were   
no indications that a ladder or anything similar was   
used."  
  
"So," said Scully, "I suppose you're suggesting   
that the killer flew up to the window."  
  
Mulder smiled mischievously. "Just keeping an open   
mind, Scully."  
  
Scully frowned. "Mulder..."  
  
"Sorry, Scully. Couldn't resist."  
  
"Not that, Mulder. Look." She nodded towards the   
back of the building. An elderly man dressed in a dark   
suit stood at the corner, watching them. "Unless I'm   
mistaken, he's..."  
  
"Another one of the Calusari." Mulder was already   
moving. The old man, his face expressionless, stepped   
out of sight. Mulder quickened his pace, Scully only   
just keeping up.  
  
"Sir! Could I talk to you for a second...!"  
  
They reached the corner of the building and paused.   
The rear yard was deserted, but a gate set in the back   
fence stood slightly ajar. From beyond came the sound of   
a car engine. Mulder broke into a run.  
  
As he burst into the alley, he caught sight of a   
grey sedan as it turned into the street at the far end.   
Squinting, he was able to read the license number just   
before the car disappeared from view. He pulled a pen   
and note-pad from his pocket, scribbling the number down   
as Scully joined him.  
  
"He moves fast for an old man," she said. "Did you   
get the whole number?"  
  
"Yeah." Mulder pulled his cellular phone from   
another pocket. "I'll have an address in a couple of   
minutes."  
  
As Mulder punched a number into his phone, Scully   
was startled by the trilling of her own phone. She took   
it from her coat pocket.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Dana?"  
  
Scully's blood turned to ice. It was a voice she   
recognised all too well. She found her own voice   
faltering as she answered.  
  
"That's right. Who is this?"  
  
"It's me, Dana. I need to see you, right away."  
  
"Is this some kind of sick joke? Who are you?"  
  
"Dana, please, I don't have time to play games. I'm   
at home. Please hurry."  
  
The line went dead. Scully stared at the phone in   
her hand for what seemed like an eternity, barely   
hearing Mulder when he spoke to her.  
  
"Got it. The car's registered to a Martin Tusler.   
He lives on the other side of town... Scully? Are you   
okay?"  
  
Scully pulled herself back to the here and now.   
"Sorry, Mulder. I'm fine."  
  
"You don't look fine. You look like you've just   
seen a ghost."  
  
She looked again at her phone. Was it possible...?   
"Mulder, I have to go home."  
  
Mulder's frown deepened. "There is something wrong,   
isn't there? You don't want to tell me about it?"  
  
"It's... family business." That sounded inadequate,   
even to her own ears, but right now she didn't think she   
could tell even Mulder the whole story. "I really do   
need to get back."  
  
He studied her face for a long moment, then nodded.   
"Okay. If you're sure you'll be okay, just drop me   
somewhere where I can hire another car."  
  
"I'm sorry about this, Mulder. I just..."  
  
"It's okay. Don't worry about it."  
  
  
[3:30 pm]  
  
As he manoeuvred through the Arlington streets,   
occasionally referring to the street directory beside   
him, Mulder couldn't help but worry about Scully's odd   
behaviour. Something had obviously rattled her badly.   
Something about the phone call she had received while he   
was tracing Tusler's car.  
  
During the drive to a nearby car-rental place, he   
had extended a few more gentle probes about what was   
bothering her, but she had adamantly resisted all   
efforts to share her problem. He just hoped she would be   
all right...  
  
A few minutes later, he was pulling up outside a   
small white house, the number on the letterbox   
indicating that it was the address he had been given for   
Martin Tusler. There was no sign of the grey sedan in   
the driveway, but the door of the small garage was   
closed. No sign of movement at any of the windows. The   
house appeared to be deserted.  
  
Mulder continued to keep an eye on the windows as   
he walked up the front path. The unnerving feeling that   
he was being watched had started to settle on him. He   
knocked on the front door, then listened carefully.   
Hearing no sounds of movement he knocked again, waited a   
few more seconds, then headed for the garage.  
  
He fully expected the garage to be locked, and was   
surprised when the door swung up easily, revealing   
Tusler's grey sedan parked inside.  
  
"Can I help you?"  
  
Startled, Mulder turned towards the sound of the   
thickly accented voice. The man he had seen at Bostov's   
apartment stood just outside the now-open front door.   
Mulder pulled out his I.D.  
  
"Mister Tusler? I'm Agent Fox Mulder from the   
F.B.I..."  
  
"Yes. I remember you." Tusler looked around   
furtively. The man was obviously very scared. "Please,   
come inside. It is not safe out here."  
  
-----oOo-----  
  
A strong smell of incense, and something else that   
Mulder couldn't quite identify, filled the living room   
of Tusler's house. The source wasn't hard to spot. In   
the middle of the room, sitting on a low table, a small   
pot bubbled over a camp stove. A large knife lay on one   
side of the pot, a dead chicken on the other. With the   
blinds drawn, the only light came from dozens of   
candles.  
  
"Mister Tusler, I assume you realise that I'm here   
to ask you about the death of Paul Bostov?"  
  
Tusler was pacing the room, continually wringing   
his hands. He nodded in response to Mulder's question.  
  
"Is there anything you can tell me?"  
  
"We are in grave danger. The dark powers have come   
to exact their revenge."  
  
"Against the Calusari?"  
  
Another nod. "We did not realise how powerful the   
entity we exorcised from the Holvey child was. It has   
been biding its time, regathering its strength, and now   
it has decided that the Calusari must pay for their   
interference."  
  
Mulder moved over to one of the windows, lifting   
the blind slightly and noting the swastikas painted on   
the glass. "So you're telling me that it was this entity   
that killed Bostov?"  
  
"That is so."  
  
"That's not going to look too good in my report."  
  
"This is no joke! These powers..." Tusler broke off   
in mid-sentence, looking around frantically. "They are   
coming!"  
  
He scrambled towards the table, pulling a box of   
matches from his pocket. Lighting match after match,   
throwing them into the pot, he began to chant in a low,   
guttural voice. Mulder moved towards him.  
  
"Mister Tusler..." He suddenly became aware of a   
sound, like the tinkling of thousands of small bells. He   
looked around, trying to trace the source of the sound.   
"What is that?"  
  
Tusler didn't answer. His chanting became more   
frantic as he rocked back and forth, tears streaming   
down his face. Mulder reached for him...  
  
The window behind him exploded inward in a shower   
of glass and wood. As Mulder was thrown forward, he had   
time to be aware of the edge of the table rushing   
towards him, then darkness.  
  
  
[8:15 pm]  
[Annapolis, MD]  
  
Scully brought the car to a halt outside her   
sister's old house. Since Melissa's death, their mother   
still hadn't found the heart to put the place up for   
sale. It had stood deserted all that time.  
  
Now there was a light burning in the front window.  
  
She would have liked to have gotten here earlier,   
while it was still light, but a pile-up on the I-90 had   
made the trip torturously slow.Pulling her gun from her   
purse, she got out of the car and walked slowly up the   
front path. She paused at the front door, debated   
briefly with herself over whether or not she should   
knock, then berated herself for being stupid and tried   
the door. It wasn't locked, swinging open easily.  
  
Her heart was pounding as she stepped across the   
threshold. She could hear the shaking in her voice as   
she called out, "Is there anybody here?"  
  
She hadn't really expected a reply, and jumped when   
a soft female voice answered. "Dana? I'm in the living   
room. Come on through."  
  
Scully's legs felt weak as she walked towards the   
warm light spilling through the living room door. She   
jumped again as the cellular phone in her pocket began   
to ring. Ignoring it, she stepped through the door.  
  
Candles lit the room. Not unusual for Melissa's   
New-Age lifestyle, but they had the effect of casting   
sections of the room into shadow. In one pool of   
darkness, face hidden, sat a slender female figure.   
Scully's breath caught in her throat.  
  
"Missy?"  
  
The figure stood, and Melissa Scully's pale   
features were revealed in a candle's glow. Scully   
stumbled backwards. Her head felt light, and she knew   
she was struggling not to faint.  
  
Melissa looked puzzled. "Dana? What's wrong? You   
look like you've seen a ghost?"  
  
"I... You..." Scully struggled to find words. She   
shook her head. "This isn't possible. You're *dead*,"   
she hissed.  
  
"What are you talking about? What do you mean, I'm   
dead?"  
  
Melissa took a step towards Scully, who immediately   
brought her gun up. "Don't come any closer! I don't know   
who you are, but you are not my sister!"  
  
"Dana, please don't do this. I don't know where you   
got this crazy idea. I've just been away, that's all."  
  
The gun didn't move. "Away where?" demanded Scully.  
  
Now Melissa's face clouded over. "I... I don't   
really remember. I think there was an accident... That   
phone, Dana. I can't concentrate. Please turn it off."  
  
Scully realised that her phone had been ringing all   
this time. With her free hand she fished it out of her   
pocket. Her thumb hovered over the On/Off button. She   
glanced from the phone to the woman claiming to be her   
sister.  
  
"Turn it off."  
  
Instead, Scully activated the phone and held it to   
her ear. Melissa was immediately alarmed.  
  
"No, don't answer it...!"  
  
"Scully here."  
  
The voice that came through was weak and scratchy,   
but unmistakable. "Scully..." gasped Mulder. "Help   
me..."  
  
"Mulder? Where are you?"  
  
"Tusler's..."  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
"Not... too good."  
  
"Keep still. I'll call in some back-up, and be   
there as soon as I can."  
  
"Hurry."  
  
Scully cut the connection, then started dialling   
another number, keeping one eye on Melissa. The other   
woman looked upset.  
  
"Dana, what are you doing? You're not going to   
leave me, are you? There's so much we need to talk   
about."  
  
Scully didn't answer, instead ordering back-up and   
an ambulance to Mulder's location. It was only after she   
was satisfied that she had done what she could for   
Mulder that she turned her full attention back to the   
woman in front of her.  
  
"Will you stay now?" asked Melissa.  
  
"I have to go," said Scully, reaching into the bag   
slung over her shoulder and producing a set of   
handcuffs. "But you're coming with me. Hold out your   
hands."  
  
Smiling sadly, Melissa shook her head. "I can't do   
that. I have to stay here."  
  
"Why?"  
  
Now Melissa looked puzzled again, as if trying to   
remember some elusive detail. "I... I don't... I just   
have to stay that's all."  
  
"Hold out your hands!" Scully began moving slowly   
towards Melissa.  
  
"Please don't do this, Dana."  
  
"I said...!"  
  
An horrendously loud cracking, snapping noise   
erupted above Scully's head. Her immediate reaction was   
to duck and cover her head, preparing for the onslaught   
of debris she was sure would follow as something smashed   
through the ceiling above her. She glanced up... and saw   
nothing. The ceiling was whole and unmarked.  
  
But the momentary distraction had served its   
purpose. There was no sign of Melissa.  
  
Scully was on her feet in an instant, bolting   
towards the dining room entrance at the far side of the   
room.  
  
"Missy!"  
  
The slamming of a door. Scully raced through the   
dining room and into the kitchen, shoving open the back   
door and taking the steps leading into the small yard in   
one leap.  
  
There was still no sign of Melissa.  
  
Standing as still as she could, trying to control   
her breathing and ignore the rapid beating of her heart,   
Scully listened intently. Nothing.  
  
Gun still in hand, she hurried to the small gate   
leading down the side of the house and headed for her   
car.  
  
  
[11:00 pm]  
[ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA]  
  
Tusler's house was in full crime-scene mode by the   
time Scully arrived. Police lights illuminated the   
street in intermittent flashes, as well as the lights of   
a single ambulance. Presenting her I.D., she ducked   
under the police-line tape and went immediately to the   
ambulance.  
  
Mulder was there, sitting up on a stretcher as a   
paramedic tended a nasty-looking gash on his forehead.   
His left hand was already wrapped in a bandage. Even so,   
he managed a smile when he saw Scully.  
  
"Glad you could make it to the party." His voice   
was little more than a croak, and on closer inspection,   
she could see just how pale his face was.  
  
"Are you okay Mulder?"  
  
"Fine. A bump on the head, and a bit of scalding   
when a pot of boiling animal blood fell on my hand, but   
other than that, I feel great."  
  
Scully looked at the paramedic, who shrugged, "I   
wouldn't mind holding him overnight for observation,   
just in case of concussion."  
  
"That's not a bad idea," said Scully. As Mulder   
opened his mouth to object, Scully held up her hand. "If   
you're concussed, Mulder, you could seriously impede the   
investigation. It's just overnight. I'll take care of   
things here."  
  
"I don't think that's a good idea, Scully." He   
started to rise, but didn't even make it all the way to   
his feet before he slumped back onto the stretcher,   
holding his good hand gingerly to his head.  
  
"Dizzy?"  
  
Mulder nodded. "My head hasn't felt this bad since   
I found that bottle of my grandfather's home-made hooch   
in the storage shed."  
  
"Then you rest. Doctor's orders. What about Tusler?   
Did you find him?"  
  
Mulder's face became grim. "Tusler's dead. They got   
him while I was here."  
  
"Did you get a look at who did it?"  
  
"No. They busted in through a window. I was knocked   
out by the force. When I came to, Tusler was dead, the   
same as Bostov."  
  
-----oOo-----  
  
Scully surveyed the wreckage of Martin Tusler's   
living room, Mulder's final words to her still echoing   
in her mind.  
  
"Be careful, Scully."  
  
But despite the bustle of police forensics around   
her, Scully found herself unable to concentrate on the   
problem at hand, to analyze the crime scene as she had   
been trained. The potential of a possible threat from   
this case seemed insignificant compared to the other   
events of this night.  
  
Even as she was unzipping the body bag, she was   
simply going through the motions, her mind focussed   
primarily on her encounter with the woman who claimed to   
be her dead sister.  
  
She couldn't be Missy. It was impossible.  
  
Scully pulled the plastic apart, prepared for the   
sight of Tusler's mutilated face. She wasn't prepared   
for the sight of Melissa's pale features staring up at   
her.  
  
"Dana..."  
  
She lurched back, a startled cry escaping her. One   
of the forensic cops gave her an odd look, as he knelt   
beside the body.  
  
"Not a pretty sight, is it?"  
  
Steeling herself, Scully looked down at the corpse   
in the dark plastic bag. She saw the eyeless face of   
Martin Tusler, nothing more.  
  
"It... I wasn't really expecting it," she said,   
feeling like a fool. But she wasn't about to tell the   
officer what she thought she'd seen. Her imagination was   
obviously getting the better of her.  
  
And she had been worried about Mulder's possible   
concussion impairing the investigation...  
  
  
[7:30 AM]  
[November 2nd]  
[Annapolis, MD]  
  
Again, Scully awoke with a start. Again, the   
details of the dream that had interrupted her sleep were   
dissolving before she could get a grip on them. But, as   
before, she was sure that the dream had centred on   
Melissa.  
  
Hardly surprising.  
  
She had given up on the investigation last night,   
realising that staying at the crime scene would serve no   
purpose, and might even have hindered the investigations   
of the local police. She and Mulder would have to go   
over the crime scene reports later today.  
  
The ringing of her bedside phone made her jump. She   
stared at it, terrified that she knew whose voice she   
would hear if she picked it up.  
  
Don't be stupid, she told herself, snatching up the   
phone. Still, her voice was tentative as she spoke.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Dana?"  
  
Her heartbeat slowed as she recognised her mother's   
voice.  
  
"Hi mom." She settled back in her bed. "It's early.   
What are you calling about at this hour?"  
  
"Dana... Something's happened." Scully was now   
aware of how upset her mother sounded. "Could you meet   
me at the cemetery? At Melissa's grave?"  
  
Scully's blood ran cold. "What's happened?"  
  
"The police called. There's been some kind of   
vandalism at the cemetery. Missy's grave was involved."   
Margaret Scully sounded on the verge of tears.  
  
"I'll be there right away."  
  
  
[9:00 am]  
[Baltimore Memorial Cemetery]  
[Baltimore, MD]  
  
Scully wasn't too surprised when Mulder pulled up   
outside the cemetery about a minute after she did. She   
had left a message on his answering machine, and had   
correctly assumed that he would discharge himself from   
the hospital at the earliest possible time.  
  
"Scully, what's going on?" As he walked towards   
her, she saw that his hand was still wrapped in gauze,   
and a small bandage was taped to his forehead.  
  
"I'm sorry, Mulder. I should have told you about   
this straight away. It's just..." She found herself   
groping for the correct words. What had been happening   
just wasn't easily explainable.  
  
"How about you start at the beginning? It was that   
phone call you got at Bostov's, wasn't it?"  
  
Scully nodded. As they walked through the cemetery   
gates, she recapped the events of the past day. Mulder   
listened quietly, not interrupting her, for which she   
was grateful. One the flow of words started, she spilled   
the whole thing in a rush. When she had finished, she   
was feeling quite drained.  
  
"Are you sure the person you saw was Melissa?"   
Mulder asked.  
  
"It looked like her, it sounded like her. I just   
don't..." She stopped in mid-sentence as they rounded a   
bend in the gravel path. Ahead, a police cruiser was   
parked on the path. Two men in suits, who she   
immediately took to be police detectives, were standing   
with Margaret Scully by the spot where Scully knew   
Melissa's grave was located.  
  
Even from this distance, she could see the mound of   
fresh, disturbed earth.  
  
She quickened her pace. Her mother, seeing her   
approach, hurried towards her, tears streaming down her   
cheeks.  
  
"Dana..."  
  
As they embraced, Mulder stepped ahead of them,   
moving to join the two detectives. Scully stepped back   
and looked at her mother.  
  
"Are you okay Mom?"  
  
"No... Dana, who would do such a thing? They've...   
Melissa never hurt anyone..."  
  
Dreading what she was about to see, Scully walked   
with her mother up to the gravesite.  
  
The grave was empty. Fresh soil was dumped to   
either side of the gaping hole, revealing the splintered   
lid of the coffin below. There was no sign of Melissa's   
body in the casket. Scully's legs felt weak, and she   
found herself needing support from her mother as much as   
the other woman was supporting her.  
  
Was it possible...?  
  
Mulder was quietly conferring with the detectives.   
After a few moments the three men approached her.  
  
"Scully, this is detectives Burke and Wills. They   
just want to ask a couple of questions."  
  
"Of course."  
  
As the detectives started with the routine   
questions about whether she knew anyone who harboured   
enough of a grudge to do something like this,  
Mulder walked slowly around the perimeter of the grave.   
He stopped a couple of times, crouching down to examine   
some detail or another, then stood and resumed walking.  
By the time he had completed his circuit, the detectives   
had finished their questions.  
  
Scully had avoided any mention of her encounter   
with Melissa the night before, feeling that it would   
serve no purpose for the police to consider her a raving   
lunatic. This was something that she and Mulder would   
have to solve themselves.  
  
  
[11:00 am]  
[Baltimore, MD]  
  
Scully stepped into the kitchen of her mother's   
home. Mulder was standing at the counter, pouring a   
second cup of coffee. He handed it to her.  
  
"How is she," he asked.  
  
"Sleeping," said Scully, taking a sip of her   
coffee. "I gave her a couple of sleeping pills, so she   
should be out for a while."  
  
"What about you?"  
  
She smiled thinly. "Good question. I feel like I've   
really been dragged through the wringer over the last   
twenty-four hours. But I doubt I'll get a decent night's   
sleep until we resolve this." Scully leaned against the   
counter. "So, the next question is; Now what?"  
  
"For the moment, I want to keep track on the   
Calusari murders. There's not a lot else we can do until   
Melissa... the woman calling herself Melissa, contacts   
you again. Besides..." Mulder hesitated.  
  
"Besides what?" prompted Scully.  
  
"I... have a feeling that these events may be   
connected in some way."  
  
Scully raised her eyebrows. "Connected? How?"  
  
"I don't know. That's what we have to find out."  
  
  
[1:00 pm]  
[ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA]  
  
Mulder stood on the front steps of Tusler's house,   
looking out at the street beyond. Whoever had smashed   
through the window to get at Tusler would have had to   
come across the front lawn. No-one in the neighbourhood   
had seen anything out of the ordinary.  
  
Now, a line of police tape stretched across the   
front of the yard, and their examination of the crime   
scene had yielded no new information. The one thing they   
desperately needed was the names of the other Calusari.   
Mulder knew there was at least one, possibly two others.   
But Tusler had kept no notes of any kind regarding his   
involvement with the group. There had been nothing   
resembling an address book amongst his belongings.  
  
It was a dead end.  
  
Scully stepped through the front door and stood   
beside him.  
  
"Ready to go?" he asked.  
  
She nodded in reply. They were both feeling the   
frustration of the lack of progress in the case. As they   
walked back to their car Mulder worked through what they   
knew, trying to find somewhere that they could pick up   
the thread again.  
  
He was about to climb into the car, ready to admit   
defeat, when something caught his eye. They were being   
watched.  
  
A lone figure stood on the footpath several houses   
away, under the shade of a large elm tree. His black   
suit contrasted sharply with the white hair and beard.   
Even from this distance, Mulder could see the piercing   
eyes gazing at him from above the beard. Eyes he   
immediately recognised.  
  
"That's him."  
  
Scully followed his line of sight. "You're   
kidding."  
  
"No. That's him. He's the leader of the Calusari."   
As he spoke, the old man began to walk slowly towards   
them. Mulder slammed the car door and went to meet him   
half way. Scully followed.  
  
Shoulders straight, the Calusari leader stood   
before them. "I warned you, Mister Mulder," he said   
before Mulder had a chance to say anything. "It knows   
you, I said. Now it is back, and we are all in grave   
danger."  
  
  
  
[2:00 pm]  
  
The home of Joachim Guntav was like a fortress. The   
windows were heavily barred, the doors thick, solid and,   
Mulder suspected, steel cored. The inevitable swastikas   
adorned every possible entrance, and were actually   
incorporated into the stained glass patterns of the   
windows.  
  
Unlike the make-shift altar in Tusler's house, here   
one central room had been entirely devoted to ceremonial   
purposes. Carvings and pictographs adorned the walls,   
and a large pot bubbled on an ornate table in the centre   
of the room.  
  
The old man, Guntav, stood in front of the pot,   
eyes closed, brow creased in concentration. Mulder hated   
to interrupt him, but...  
  
"Mister Guntav, we really need some information   
about what's been going on here," asked Scully, beating   
Mulder to the punch.  
  
Guntav answered without opening his eyes. "Ask your   
friend. He knows."  
  
At Scully's enquiring look, Mulder shrugged.   
"According to what Tusler told me before he was killed,   
the entity that possessed the Holvey boy is back, and   
it's pissed. It wants revenge on the Calusari for   
evicting it."  
  
"So it's killing them one by one." Scully sounded   
unimpressed. Hardly surprising, since she didn't really   
believe that Charlie Holvey had been possessed in the   
first place. But Mulder had been present at the exorcism   
ceremony. He had seen, and he believed.  
  
Which was making him very nervous.  
  
Guntav opened his eyes, his piercing gaze settling   
on Scully. "It knows your friend, it knows what is   
important to him. And through him, it also knows you."   
He picked up a large silver dagger. Mulder saw Scully's   
hand twitch towards her sidearm before she was able to   
control the impulse.  
  
Using a small bowl, the old man scooped up some of   
the thick red liquid from the pot. He then walked to the   
room's only window and dipped the point of the dagger in   
the potion. Using drops falling from the dagger's blade,   
he slowly walked back towards the altar, creating a line   
on the wooden floor.  
  
"We must attempt to contain the entity, weaken it   
so that it will dissipate once more. To do that requires   
the strength of three. With my companions dead, I need   
your help."  
  
Scully opened her mouth to speak, but Mulder raised   
his hand to keep her quiet. "What do we have to do?"he   
asked.  
  
"Nothing," said Guntav, "and everything. The   
strength of three bright souls will contain the evil   
long enough for me to complete the ceremony." Having   
completed the first line, he returned to the window and   
began drawing a second line from the opposite side.  
  
"I'm afraid my partner doesn't really believe in   
what you say is happening."  
  
"When the time comes, she will believe."  
  
With the completion of the second line, Guntav   
walked back to the window, a swastika set in stained   
glass in the middle of the pane. "We must allow the   
spirit entry, but it must be at a point of our choosing,   
so that we can channel where we wish."  
  
He raised the dagger and, using the hilt, rapped   
firmly on the glass over the swastika. The glass   
cracked, fracturing the symbol.  
  
"Now," said Guntav, "We wait."  
  
  
[7:30 pm]  
  
Scully stood up from sitting in one of the   
overstuffed armchairs positioned along one side of the   
room. She stretched, trying to work the crick out of her   
neck. Moving quietly, so as not to disturb Guntav who   
hadn't moved from his position at the altar, she walked   
over to where Mulder sat in another chair.  
  
"Mulder, this is insane," she said, keeping her   
voice low.  
  
"Not really, Scully. Think about it. Even if a   
supernatural entity wasn't responsible for the killings,   
we can still assume that Guntav will be the next target.   
Therefore all we have to do is wait, and the killer   
should show."  
  
The phone is Scully's pocket trilled, and they both   
jumped. Quickly, she whipped it out and activated it.  
  
"Scully here."  
  
There was a moment of silence, then a click as the   
line was disconnected. "They hung up," she told Mulder.  
  
"If we're lucky, it was just an innocent wrong   
number," he said, rising to his feet.  
  
"And if we're not lucky...?"  
  
"It's beginning!" said Guntav, a quaver in his   
voice. He picked up a box of matches and began a low   
guttural chant as he lit the matches one by one,   
throwing them into the pot.  
  
"How does he know?" asked Scully. "I don't feel   
anything."  
  
Then, from somewhere outside, a voice cried out,   
"Dana!"  
  
The blood drained from Scully's face. Mulder   
watched her, concerned. "Is that...?"  
  
She nodded. The voice came again, rising in urgency   
and desperation. "Dana! Help me, please!"  
  
Scully started towards the door. Mulder grabbed her   
by the arm, as Guntav paused in his chanting long enough   
to snap, "You must not leave this room!"  
  
"Scully, it's a trick. It must be. They're just   
trying to divide us." He looked her in the eye. "Melissa   
is dead."  
  
Someone began pounding at the front door. At the   
same time, the entire house seemed to start vibrating.   
"Dana! Please, let me in! They're after me! Help me!   
Please!"  
  
Drawing her pistol, Scully pulled away from   
Mulder's grip and started towards the door. Mulder moved   
to grab her again.  
  
"Scully...!"  
  
She twisted away from him again, then looked at him   
with pleading eyes. "You don't understand, Mulder. I   
never saw her body. I have to know."  
  
As she ran from the room, the vibration became a   
shaking, as if the house were in the grip of an   
earthquake. Mulder moved to pursue Scully, but was   
halted by Guntav's cry.  
  
"If you leave this room we will all die!"  
  
"I can't let her go out there alone!" Mulder   
shouted above the growing rumble.  
  
"All she must face is the truth!" bellowed Guntav.   
"We must still face the evil! Stay! Come and stand   
beside me!"  
  
Mulder hesitated. He was about to ignore the old   
man's plea when the memory of Charlie Holvey's exorcism   
welled up, unbidden. The forces they were facing were   
real, and he realised that obeying Guntav was the best   
chance for all of them to survive.  
  
He moved to the old man's side.  
  
-----oOo-----  
  
Scully moved toward the front door, her gun at the   
ready. The pounding on the wood continued.  
  
"Dana!!" It was more a scream now than a cry. The   
familiar voice tore at her heart. She reached out to   
unlock the door.  
  
She had to know.  
  
As soon as the door was unlatched, it was thrown   
open with startling force. A strong blast of wind blew   
past her, then Melissa's familiar form stumbled through   
the door and into her arms.  
  
After slamming the door shut and locking it again,   
Scully dragged Melissa towards the altar room. They were   
only a few feet from the door when a huge oak bookcase   
standing in the hallway suddenly toppled across the   
entrance, blocking their way. Now, it was Melissa doing   
the dragging, clutching Scully's hand and dragging her   
towards the staircase.  
  
"This way!"  
  
-----oOo-----  
  
Mulder heard a large crash outside the door. He   
started to turn towards it, but his attention was   
dragged back to the window as the glass exploded   
inwards. He threw up an arm to protect his face, but the   
expected shower of jagged shards never came. Cautiously   
lowering his arm, he was astounded to see the fragments   
of glass spinning just inside the window, as though in   
the grip of a miniature tornado.  
  
"Take my hand," hissed Guntav. Mulder did so, as   
the Calusari's chanting became louder and more urgent.  
  
-----oOo-----  
  
The only light in the upstairs bedroom came   
filtering through the window from the streetlights   
outside. Scully pulled away from the woman holding her   
hand as soon as they were through the door, bringing her   
gun up.  
  
"Stop where you are," she ordered. The other woman   
obeyed. "Now, turn around so I can see you."  
  
"You're not going to start all this again, are you   
Dana? For god's sake..."  
  
"Just do it!"  
  
The woman turned. In this dim light she looked so   
much like Melissa. Scully reached for the light switch   
by the door. Flicking it on, she wasn't overly surprised   
when nothing happened. The power was out.  
  
"As far as I'm concerned, my sister is dead," said   
Scully. "Give me one good reason to believe otherwise."  
  
"Alright," said Melissa. Then she began to speak.  
  
-----oOo-----  
  
The glass tornado was spinning faster and faster in   
front of them. Mulder risked a glance at Guntav. His   
face was streaming with sweat, and he held Mulder's hand   
in a vice-like grip.  
  
Suddenly, his mouth snapped open and he gasped in   
shock, drawing in a huge, shuddering breath. "It's too   
strong!" he cried.  
  
Even as Guntav spoke, the glass storm expanded   
rapidly. Mulder threw up his arm again, and this time he   
reeled back as dozens of shallow cuts scored his exposed   
flesh. He lost his grip on Guntav's hand, stumbling   
back, falling as he encountered one of the armchairs.  
  
The glass receded, back towards the window, through   
which an intensely bright light was now streaming. A   
human shape began to take form in the midst of the   
maelstrom. All at once, the shards of glass stopped   
spinning, and dropped to the floor. A tall, middle-aged   
woman stepped forward, and Mulder was shocked to realise   
that he recognised her.  
  
"Mrs Paddock!?"  
  
The smile would have been warm, but there was   
something about her eyes, something almost reptilian.   
"Hello, Agent Mulder. It's nice to see you again."  
  
Mulder fumbled under his jacket, searching for his   
gun. Then he saw it lying on the floor, a few feet away.   
He was just reaching for it when Paddock made a tutting   
noise, sounding just like the school-teacher she had   
been when Mulder and Scully had last encountered her.  
  
"We can't have that, I'm afraid." Mulder's gun slid   
across the floor, stopping at Paddock's feet. She picked   
it up and, with a flick of her wrist, tossed it out the   
window. Still smiling, she turned away from Mulder, to   
where Guntav lay slumped against the wall, staring at   
her in horror.  
  
"Elizabeth," he whispered.  
  
"Hello, Joachim," she said, taking a step towards   
him. "I told you we'd meet again."  
  
At a gesture from her hand, Guntav suddenly slid up   
the wall, clutching his throat. His head stopped a few   
inches from the ceiling. Mulder tried to struggle to his   
feet, but a single glance from Paddock slammed him back   
down against the floor.  
  
"Stay out of this, Agent Mulder. This is old   
business that doesn't concern you." She turned her   
attention back to Guntav. "You were warned, Joachim. You   
knew what would happen if you continued to meddle in our   
affairs. Now it's time to pay the price."  
  
His voice a choked whisper, Guntav managed to spit   
out three words, loaded with pure hatred. "Go.. to...   
hell!"  
  
Paddock's smile widened. "I'm already there,   
darling. Remember?"  
  
There was a horrible crackling noise, and Mulder   
watched as Guntav's neck was twisted at an obscene   
angle. He died without uttering another word.  
  
Another gesture from Paddock, and the broken body   
fell to the floor. Mulder tried again to get to his   
feet.  
  
"Please, Agent Mulder, I don't want to have to hurt   
you any more than I already have."  
  
"Why are you doing this?" Mulder asked, easing   
himself into one of the chairs, having decide that   
resistance would be futile, and, quite probably, painful   
and potentially fatal. "What's your involvement with the   
Calusari?"  
  
"I work for a... powerful agency, Agent Mulder, as   
I'm sure you've already guessed. It's my job to clean up   
here and there on occassion, like in New Hampshire."  
  
"And the Calusari pissed off your employers, so   
they had to die," Mulder finished for her.  
  
Paddock was walking back towards the window.   
"That's right. I knew you'd understand."  
  
"What about Scully and me? Aren't you going to kill   
us as well?"  
  
"Unfortunately I'm not allowed to do that, for...   
political reasons, I guess you'd say. But we knew that   
the deaths of the Calusari, especially so close to home,   
would draw your attention, and you and your partner   
together could have complicated matters. So we came up   
with a little distraction that we were confident would   
keep you apart at the appropriate time."  
  
"A distraction? Melissa..."  
  
"I'm sure Agent Scully has found the experience   
most cathartic." The light outside the window was   
building in brightness. "Goodbye, Agent Mulder. It's   
been nice working with you again. Until next time..."  
  
The light flared, then died, and Mulder was left   
alone in the darkness.  
  
-----oOo-----  
  
Tears were streaming down Scully's face as Melissa   
related story after story of their childhood together,   
reminding her of things that only the two of them could   
possibly know. She used all the right words, invoked all   
the right memories, leaving no doubt in Scully's mind.  
  
"Missy... I've missed you so much. Why did you go   
away?"  
  
Melissa smiled sadly. "You know, Dana. In your   
heart, you know. But by tomorrow, the rational part of   
your mind, the part that used to infuriate me so much,   
will start to work on ways to explain all this away."  
  
Surprising herself, Scully realised that she knew   
what her sister meant. "I'm sorry," she said. "It was   
supposed to be me, not you. You weren't supposed to   
die."  
  
"I know. But I don't blame you, Dana. Your guilt is   
misplaced. What happened wasn't your fault."  
  
"I... I know. But..." Scully suddenly realised that   
she could barely see Melissa. The darkness seemed to be   
engulfing her. "What's happening?"  
  
"I have to go now, Dana."  
  
"No!"  
  
"You have to go on, Dana. The truth is out there,   
and that truth is linked to you in ways that you can't   
possibly imagine. God, your future is so bright..."  
  
The last few words faded to a whisper, as Melissa's   
image faded entirely from view. Scully lunged towards   
where her sister had been.  
  
"Missy!"  
  
But there was nothing there, and Scully was left   
alone in the darkness.  
  
  
TH'END 


End file.
